The Beckhoff FB Piggyback Controllers series is a group of EtherCAT piggyback controller boards that combine an ET1100 EtherCAT Slave Controller, two EtherCAT ports, EEPROM, status LEDs, and a process data interface connector on a compact printed circuit board.
The series includes three variants that differ by process data interface type, covering a 16/8-bit asynchronous microcontroller interface, a serial peripheral interface, and a 32-bit digital I/O interface. These boards are designed both for EtherCAT evaluation and for integration into customer end products, and the common hardware layout includes integrated PHYs, magnetics, RJ45 connections, and configurable resistor networks that define the PDI signal mapping. The process data interface uses a 52-pin connector with 5 V input, a limited 3.3 V output supply, and 3.3 V-compatible I/O signals, while certain variants can be adapted for alternate interface modes through resistor configuration or use with Beckhoff evaluation hardware. The FB series is best suited to designs where EtherCAT slave functionality needs to be added directly at the board level with a hardware interface that matches the surrounding control electronics.
